Nationality: SwedenExecutive summary: Signal transduction in the nervous system

Military service: Swedish Armed Forces

Prior to Arvid Carlsson's work, dopamine was believed to work only indirectly, by stimulating brain cells to form another neurotransmitter, noradrenaline. Carlsson showed that dopamine is itself a neurotransmitter, leading to the development of levodopa (L-Dopa), a drug now widely prescribed for patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. He shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Medicine with Paul Greengard, who conducted related research independently, and with Eric R. Kandel, who studied the molecular basis of learning and memory.

Concerned about the toxicity of fluoride, Carlsson is an outspoken opponent of the practice, common in most developed nations, of adding fluoride to drinking water to improve dental health.

Author of books:Metabolism of Radiocalcium in Relation to Calcium Intake in Young Rats (1951)Cellular Localization of Brain Monoamines (1962, with Bengt Falck and Nils-Aake Hillarp)Analysis of the Mgtt-ATP Dependent Storage Mechanism in the Amine Granules of the Adrenal Medulla (1963, with Nils-Aake Hillarp and Bertil Waldeck)Current Topics in Extrapyramidal Disorders (1980)Messengers of the Brain (2002, with Lena Carlsson)Progress in Dopamine Research Schizophrenia: A Guide for Physicians (2004)